Lucid Air Electric Car

Trending News: Meet The New Luxury Electric Car With A 640-Kilometre Range

Long Story Short

Step aside, Tesla. There’s a new king when it comes to all-electric range. The Lucid Air, scheduled to begin production in 2018, will be able to drive 400 miles (roughly 640 kilometres) on a single charge.

Long Story

What a difference fives years make. Remember when we were all saying electric vehicles wouldn’t catch on because of their piddly range, which in 2011 tended to average around the 75 mile (120 kilometre) mark for highway capable cars? Well that changed a year later with the introduction of the Tesla Model S, which could go a whopping 265 miles (425 kilometres) on a single charge (beating the Tesla Roadster’s already outstanding 244 mile range).

The Model S has been the flag bearer for electric cars ever since, its high price hardly stopping it from passing the 150,000 sales mark last month. The latest variants boast a range that reaches up to 315 miles (500 kilometres).

But Tesla’s position atop the electric car tree might be under threat. Late last week, Lucid ripped the covers off its new Model S slayer, the Air. The Air is expected to begin production in 2018 and the base model will come with a 100 kWh battery — the same as the Model S P100D. But a premium model will pack a 130 kWh battery, which will give the car a range of 400 miles, or a little over 640 kilometres in metric terms. It’s a huge leap over the Model S, which was already being lauded mid-year for the 11 percent capacity increase provided by the 100 kWh version.

The Air was unveiled at a special event in Fremont, California, Peter Rawlinson pulling the covers off a car that looks more like a heavy saloon more in the tradition of the Model S Mercedes or BMW 7 Series than a Tesla. Opinions are probably divided on the front-end, which to our eye looks like it belongs on another car altogether. Otherwise, it’s a handsome, low-slung beast.

The stats are pretty beastly too. The car packs 1,000 horsepower and can do 0-100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds. It will also come autonomous-ready with short and long range radar, cameras and Lidar.

As for price? Expect it to go for at least $100,000. Which might make you wince, but then you consider the technology and performance of the thing and it begins to sound fair.

The unveiling of the Air bookmarks a pretty terrific year for electric vehicles. Beyond Tesla’s updates for the Model S it also revealed the Model 3, a slightly smaller sedan aimed at the mass market. Chevy, meanwhile, is also helping to break open the market for electric vehicles, yesterday delivering its first Chevy Bolts, which can roll for an impressive 238 miles (just over 380 kilometres) on a single charge.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

What will Tesla’s response be?

Drop This Fact

English inventor Thomas Parker built the first production electric car in London in 1884, using high-capacity rechargeable batteries that he designed himself.